RECEIVING THE BENEFITS OF HIS AGONY

February 8, 2019

Matthew 27:50-51

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…”

All for me. Jesus did all this just for me. The agony was unbearable. He bore our sins in His body, and it racked His spirit. The torture of bearing the sins of the world was overwhelming and overbearing. And after crying out again louder and in great agony, He yielded up His spirit to complete the work of atonement. And once the transaction of death took place, the veil that hid the Holy of Holies was torn so that Man could have access to the Face of the Holy One. What a price Jesus had to pay for the sake of the ones He loves.

How can we, therefore, treat this great sacrifice with such laxity and levity? How can we, thus, cheapen the agony of Jesus and reduce it to a ritualistic set of ceremonies without life? How can we still sit outside when the veil has been torn, and we have free access into the heart of God? How come we still live as spiritual paupers rather than enjoy and receive the full benefits of His agony? The great price of His anguish must bear fruit in our lives and religious experience; otherwise, the suffering would have been in vain. And that would be a double loss indeed: a loss for Christ and a loss for us.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for this great sacrifice, all just for me. I vow by Your name, to take full advantage of all the benefits that proceed from Your agony, in Your name and through Your pains I pray. Amen.”

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